Perinatal Support Washington (PS-WA) is a statewide non-profit committed to shining a light on perinatal mental health to support all families and communities. We support people in the emotional transition to parenthood, including those experiencing depression, anxiety, loss, infertility, trauma, and more.

Our core programs include a statewide Warm Line that supports families experiencing perinatal mental health complications, free and low-cost new parent support groups, free and low cost therapy, training and consultation for health care providers, education and advocacy on Perinatal Mental Health.

About the Clinical Training Program
Perinatal Support Washington launched a new clinical training program for interns and externs in fall 2020. Our program is currently online telehealth therapy for common experiences in the perinatal period including infertility, perinatal loss, birth trauma, postpartum adjustment issues such as depression, anxiety, and panic, breast/chestfeeding stress/trauma, relationship concerns since baby, and unwanted feelings such as anger, rage, irritability. We serve parents up to 24 mo postpartum who are experiencing a perinatal mood and anxiety disorder.

The objectives of this program are:
● To provide high quality perinatal mental health services to communities that have systematically lacked access to this specialized care. Families served regardless of income/ insurance status.
● Train to increase access to culturally matched services.
● Train students and new professionals with intention of continuing in the perinatal mental health field to increase high quality supports for parents in Washington State.

Overview of Intake coordinator role
The clinical intake coordinator role is a unique hybrid of parent support and intake services. Many mental health programs do not provide support for clients prior to formally enrolling in mental health services. The intake coordinator will provide supportive services and warm connection for clients the moment they call PS-WA. Duties include:
• Support parents referred to the clinical team to enroll in services, or find services in the community.
• Support parents while they are waiting to access care by checking via phone, text or video as needed.
• Support parents to take steps to incorporate self care and wellness activities while they are awaiting to enrolling services.

Other clinical opportunities:
● Co-facilitate support groups for pregnant or new parents.

Examples of activities:
Support Program Manager in outreach to programs serving childbearing people to build awareness of perinatal mental health support services and programs.
Support Program Manager with community meetings/training, evaluation, and coordination of the program.
Assist in building specialist Resource and Referral Guides for specific communities/languages, or lived experienced such as teen parenting, transition home from NICU, etc.
Assist in writing, researching, creating our quarterly parent newsletter.

Examples of activities:
Support Program Manager in program evaluation.
Attend state-wide perinatal mental health task force meetings- provide support with goals and tasks as needed.

Ample opportunity for training

Qualifications
● 1st year or advanced standing students.
● Strong clinical skills.
● Experience and commitment to perinatal mental health
● Experience and commitment to social justice and working with systemically underserved communities.
● Works well in a group and independently.

Desired Qualifications
● Parent with lived experience with perinatal mental health/emotional adjustment issues, perinatal loss, etc.
● Previous training or experience working with pregnant or new parents.
● Desire to continue to work in the perinatal mental health field after completion of the training program.
● Spanish speaking- Bi-lingual/bi-cultural

Preferred- Bi-lingual in Spanish, or other languages.

Please email a cover letter and resume to Mia.Edidin@perinatalsupport.org